Toy with parachute

ABSTRACT

The toy with parachute has two arms (26) forming a grip, hinged to a head (2) and on which acts a spring (3) to cause the spacing of the arms. At the lower end of each arm there is hinged a large panel (28) on which acts the air pressure and to which are fixed the ties (64) of the parachute. The panels have extensions (29) extending upwardly and engaging, in the closed position of the grip, with a corresponding portion (24a) of the arms. The head is carried by a support above the grip. To use the toy, the parachute is arranged inside the grip maintained in a closed position. Then the toy is thrown in the air. The air pressure acting on the panels prevents the opening of the grip or clip by the spring until the highest point of the trajectory is reached. Then the clip opens due to the action of the spring and the parachute opens out by the spacing of the arms and of the panels.

The invention relates to a toy with parachute. Such a toy comprises areceiving and a holding device to which a parachute is secured and inwhich the parachute can be accommodated. The toy with parachute isthrown up into the air or is catapulted by means of a launching devicein order to release the parachute in the area of the highest point ofthe trajectory and to hover down to the ground.

A device known in the prior art comprises a toy shaped like a rocket towhich a parachute is secured. The value of said device as a toy is notso great since the parachute does not open automatically at the desiredmoment.

It is an object of the invention not to leave it to chance as to whenthe parachute is released, but to develop a toy with parachute where theparachute is released reliably and automatically and opens immediately.

According to the invention, this problem is solved in that the toy hastwo arms forming a grip hinged to the upper end and having a parachutearranged between said arms; a spring which causes said arms in the areaof the grip hinge to space apart; two large panels on which air pressureacts and which are connected at the lower end to the arms, which panels,when moved by air, exert a power on the grip arms counteracting thespring; and a head portion fixed above the grip hinge.

This structure guarantees that the grip arms of the toy according to theinvention forming the holding device for the parachute remain closedwhen the toy is thrown up - normally to a height of about 6 to 12 m -,since the air pressure exerted on the large panels exceeds the openingforce of the spring. When, however, the toy has reached the apex of itstrajectory, the pressure on said panels reduces rapidly so that thespring arranged in the area of the grip hinge opens the parachute grip.About at the same time, the head secured before the grip hinge causesthe turning of the toy for about 180°. Due to the spacing of the armsthe parachute opens out automatically and the toy will hover down to theground according to its purpose. The panels may rigidly be connectedwith the grip arms and may be used as a handle for the toy withparachute. The head before the hinge which may, for example, be a rubberball moves the center of gravity of the toy to the front and cushionsthe impact of the toy on the ground. The spring provided in the area ofthe hinge is adapted to hold the head in the intended position.

It is advantageous that when the panels are hinged to the grip arms andare provided each with an upwardly extending lever and hooking meanswhich engage when the arms are closed and perform a closing moment whichis smaller than the moment of the spring acting in opening direction. Inthe portions of the panels covering the lower section of the grip arms arecess may be provided, and a launching hook for the toy may be fixed inthe area of the grip hinge. A toy with parachute having such aconfiguration can be launched by means of a launching device so that theheight reached by said toy is considerably great. The toy is heldthrough the recesses in the panels in the lower portion of the grip armswhich are a reinforced handle. When the handle is flat, no recesses arerequired. Due to the panels provided as closing lever a higher closingforce is reached by transmission. Therefore, a stronger opening springcan be provided at the grip hinge by which the opening of the parachuteat the apex of the trajectory is effected still more rapidly.

It may be another advantage that the grip arms are hinged by two eyes toa headrest and that the arms can be spaced by two springs each securedto the headrest and to the grip arms.

The grip arms define an elongated cavity in which the parachute issecured by eyes and held therein. One arm may be formed as an elongatedflat bowl and the other arm may be rounded, too, or flat and presses theparachute into the counter-arm.

It may also be an advantage that the parachute may be received in aspace between the panels to which it is secured by ribbons up to themidpoint. It is also recommended that a receiving chamber be providedfor the parachute between the grip arms. The arms may be hinged by eyesto a connecting portion, while the receiving chamber is also hinged tosaid connecting portion.

The value of the device as a toy may be increased when the arms areelongated like scissors beyond the grip hinge, the elongated portionsdefining a chamber. In said chamber, either the parachute or anotherobject may be accommodated which is released when the grip arms and theelongated portions are opened.

Each panel may be provided suitably with at least one additional panel.The forces closing the parachute grip or clip can be further increasedthereby.

The opening of the parachute according to the invention at the desiredmoment is guaranteed. The parachute which is secured by its cords to thelower end of the grip arms or of the panels, is placed into the spaceprovided between said arms or said panels, whereupon the grip iscompressed and thrown up or catapulted. During the upward movement theair pressure acting upon the panels does not allow the grip to open, thespring device being adjusted accordingly. The grip arms open only in theend range of the upward movement and release the parachute. By hookingthe levers at the hinged panels a power transmission is reached for thepanel at the rear arm portion at the beginning of the opening procedure.

Further features, advantages and details of the invention become evidentfrom the following specification of some preferred embodiments.

FIGS. 1 through 1d respectively show two views and three sectional viewsof an embodiment of the toy with parachute according to the invention;the sectional views showing three possible cross sectional forms of agrip arm;

FIGS. 2 and 2a respectively show two views of a grip arm of a differentembodiment with a hinged panel;

FIGS. 3 and 3a respectively show two views of another embodiment wheretwo joints are hinged to a head support;

FIG. 4 shows two views of another embodiment according to the invention;

FIGS. 5 and 6 show further embodiments with a parachute chamber;

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate embodiments having grip arms extending likescissors;

FIG. 9 shows an embodiment with a parachute chamber providedtransversely to the grip arms, and

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment with a head container for the parachute, thegrip arms being hinged to said container.

FIG. 1 illustrates a toy with parachute comprising a head 1 preferablymade of rubber and secured to a head support 2 holding the head in acentral position. Two grip arms 4 and 5 are interconnected by means ofeyes 10 at a hinge 11; and a spring 3 which is connected to the griparms at 6 and 6a causes the spacing of the arms. The grip arm 4 has aconcave shape, while the cross section of the grip arm 5 is either flat,concave or convex as shown respectively in FIGS. 1d, 1b and 1c. Betweenthe grip arms a parachute can be accommodated having cords which areprovided at eyes 7 in the lower portion of the grip arms 4 and 5. Thegrip arms 4 and 5 are connected to panels 8 on which the air pressureacts, the lower end of which is rigidly fastened to said arms and theend portion of which is provided with a reinforced handle. Additionalpanels 9 are connected to the panels 8 and increase the clamping forcecounteracting the spring force upon the flight of the toy with parachutethrough the air. The spring 3 may be an elastic ribbon or two elasticrings which is (are) provided at the head support and at each one of thearms.

FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment according to the invention showingthat the grip arms 16 are hinged by eyes 14. Each panel 20 is connectedto the arms 16 by a hinge 22 or 18a and is provided with an upwardlydirected lever extension 21 and with hooks 17, 17a or 17b such that thelever extension of each panel engages the hooking edge of the other griparm when the grip arms are closed, whereby a closing force for the gripis caused. A launching hook 15 is fixed to a grip arm in the vicinity ofthe upper grip hinge so that the toy with parachute can be catapulted bya launching device like by an elastic ribbon, and the toy is heldthrough recesses 23 in the panels 20 at the lower end of the handle ofthe grip arms.

FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the invention wherein the griparms 21 are hinged by eyes 22 to a head support 23c; two springs 24fixed at 21a to the grip arms and at 23b to the head support 23c, causethe grip arms to space. The head support 23c holds the head portion 23ain its appropriate position.

FIG. 4 illustrates another preferred embodiment of the invention. Eachgrip arm 26 is hinged to the head support 2 by a hinge while elongatedpanels 28 are connected thereto by hinges 27 in the lower end portion.Lever extensions 29 at the panels 28 embrace attachments 24a at theopposing grip arms when the grips are closed whereby an additionalclosing force is caused. At the lower end portions of the panels holdingcords 64 of the parachute are secured to inwardly projecting hooks 7a,whereby the opening of the parachute is facilitated when the grip deviceopens. The lower end portion of the panels is circular and serves, atthe same time, as a handle for the toy with parachute.

FIG. 5 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention wherein theparachute is accommodated in a chamber 32; either part of said chamberis connected by a hinge 33 to the grip arms 31 which are hinged by eyes30. FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment wherein the chamber parts 38 forthe parachute are hinged to a member 35 to which the grip arms 40 areconnected by two eyes 36.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate two embodiments with grip arms extending likescissors beyond their hinge, the elongated portions 52 and 54 defining areception chamber which opens together with the scissor arrangement. Theparachute may be accommodated in said chamber or another object by whichthe value of the toy as a game is increased. FIG. 9 illustrates aparachute grip arrangement comprising a transversely arranged parachutechamber 56. In FIG. 10 there is provided a container head 58 for theparachute which is connected to the grip arms before the grip hinge.

What is claimed is:
 1. A toy with parachute, comprising two grip arms(16) hinged at their upper end, between which arms a parachute isarranged, a spring means mounted to said toy at said upper end andacting on the grip arms in the area of the arm hinge to open the same,two large panels (20) on which the air pressure acts connected at thelower end to the grip arms, which panels are attached to said respectivearms so that they, when the toy is moved through air, exert a power onthe grip arms counteracting the spring means, and which panels (20) arehinged to the grip arms (16) and are each provided with an upwardlyextending lever (21) and hooking means (17, 17a, 17b), the lever of eachpanel engaging the hooking means of the other only when the grip armsare closed and exerting a closing moment which is smaller than themoment of the spring acting in opening direction, the grip arms (16)defining an elongated cavity in which the parachute is secured to eyesand in which the parachute is accommodated.
 2. A toy with parachuteaccording to claim 1, wherein in the area of each panel (20) coveringthe lower end section (19) of the grip arms (16) a recess (23) isprovided, and that in the area of the grip hinge a launching hook (15)for the toy is secured.